Here's an excellent off-the-cuff presentation in response to an audience question on British television by Reformed Baptists Elder James White (link). Note how shocked the audience member is to hear that God loves even those whom he creates for destruction.
To finish up Dr. White's point, God loves different people in different ways. As we know from other parts of Scripture, "Hate" is typically used to mean "Love less." God hated Esau, but yet God loved Esau: he blessed him with a family and a name that will be remembered. The nation of Edom has been cut off, but Esau had an enormous number of descendants, and many kings were his grandchildren. So, despite the audience member's incredulity, God can love someone and provide them with good things in this life and tolerate their sin for a season, and yet (by comparison) hate them in contrasted to (as Paul puts) the great love (πολλην αγαπην) with which God loved us before the foundation of the earth and consequently sacrificed His own Son for us.
Both are love, but by contrast the former is the hatred of God. Is that truly hard to understand?
-Turretinfan
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment Guidelines:
1. Thanks for posting a comment. Without you, this blog would not be interactive.
2. Please be polite. That doesn't mean you have to use kid gloves, but please try not to flame others, even if they are heretics, infidels, or worse.
3. If you insult me, I'm more likely to delete your comment than if you butter me up. After all, I'm human. I prefer praise to insults. If you prefer insults, there's something wrong with you.
4. Please be concise. The comment box is not your blog. Your blog is your blog. If you have a really long comment, post it on your blog and post a short summary of it here.
5. Please don't just spam. It's one thing to be concise, it's another thing to simply use the comment box to advertise.
6. Please note, by commenting here, you are relinquishing your (C) in your comments to me.
7. Remember that you will give an account on judgment day for your words, including those typed in comment boxes. Try to write so you will not be ashamed if it is read back before the entire world.
8. Stay on topic. If your comment has nothing to do with the post, email it to me (my email can be obtained through my blogger profile), or simply don't post it.
9. Don't post as "Anonymous." If you are going to post anonymously, at least use some kind of recognizable "handle," so we can tell you apart from all the other anonymous folks. (This is moot at the moment, since recent abuse has forced me to turn off "anonymous" commenting.)
10. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; and abstain from doing to others what you would not wish upon yourself.